Cystic fibrosis is a deadly hereditary disease. With one in 20 people carrying the recessive gene, conception of a child having cystic fibrosis results in approximately one in every 400 child-bearing marriages. No cure for the disease has been discovered. Cystic fibrosis affects the mucus secreting glands of the body so that there is an overproduction of mucus. The lungs are continuously filled with the excess mucus, and it must be removed daily to reduce the build-up and the risk of infection. Presently, treatment involves an aerosol therapy three or four times a day to obtain bronchial drainage and a daily physical pounding on the chest wall to loosen mucus for expectoration. Daily treatment can range from four to six hours plus and necessitates a respirator therapist or at least a trained individual to provide the pummeling of the chest.
The present invention rests on a premise derived from past research with dogs. Oscillating pressure aids mucus clearance in airways and concurrent vibrations decreases the viscosity of the mucus thereby enhancing motility. The research on dogs made use of a modified blood pressure cuff wrapped around the dog in the region of the rib cage. The air bladder in the cuff was pressurized by an oscillating pump.
The art in the area of mechanical vibrations to the body shows such things as inflatable jackets or garments to put on a person to aid in respiration, such as artificial respiration. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,043,292, 2,354,397, 2,588,192 are representative. Additionally, a garment which provides oscillations for the purpose of massaging the body is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,050. The art, however, does not address the indicated cystic fibrosis treatment problem.